Hochul's Criticism Of Huntington Affordable Housing 'Misplaced': Smyth

TOWN OF HUNTINGTON, NY — Gov. Kathy Hochul's 2023 State of the State address on Jan. 10 focused on affordable housing, as she announced a plan to make finding a home on Long Island more accessible to all.

The New York Housing Compact aims to build 800,000 new homes built over next decade, while every locality in the state will have a target for building new homes, Hochul said. Upstate, the target is for the current housing stock to grow 1 percent every three years. The number is 3 percent every three years downstate.

Some localities are already hitting the goals, while others are falling short, Hochul said. The governor said it is "not a one-size fits all approach" and localities can meet their targets in multiple ways: They can shape building capacity; redevelop old malls, old buildings, office parks; incentivize new housing production; or update zoning rules.

Hochul said localities will get help from the state but issued a warning to local governments that lag behind.

"But when communities have not made good faith efforts to grow, when proposed housing projects are languishing for no legitimate reason, the state will implement a fast-track approval process because doing nothing is an abdication of our responsibility to act in times of crisis," Hochul said.

The Town of Huntington was singled out at a briefing held by Hochul administration officials, who said the town permitted the construction of just 934 homes and apartments over the past decade, even though it is as large as Brooklyn, the New York Post reported.

The state's comments drew the attention of Supervisor Edmund Smyth, who wrote a letter to state officials on Thursday.

"Governor Hochul’s criticism of Huntington housing is misplaced," Smyth said. "The Town of Huntington is the gold standard for housing development in New York."

Smyth noted Hochul's comparison of Huntington to Brooklyn.

"Fuhgeddaboudit!" he wrote. "We do not have the necessary sewers, drinking water from upstate reservoirs, paid firefighters/EMT’s and mass transit. Huntington relies on volunteer firefighters and ambulance crews. These selfless members of our community are already over-burdened with the current volume of emergency calls. This must be addressed with or without new development. The only garbage landfill on Long Island is expected to close in less than 2 years. The cost of shipping existing municipal solid waste (garbage) off Long Island is projected to increase dramatically over the next 5 years."

Huntington, Smyth said, rezoned large parcels of land from single-family zoning to higher density residential zones. Avalon Bay in Huntington Station, Kensington Estates, Matinecock Court, and the Season’s at Elwood & East Northport, each generated more than 1,000 new units of housing, he said. Each of these developments included at least 20 percent affordable units, Smyth said.

The township is also set to create assisted living units for seniors, approving more than 350 new units in the past five years.

Hochul in her address said she knows the plan is a "big ask" and promised localities help from the state in the form of "substantial" funding for infrastructure, schools, roads and sewers. The state also pledged to cut red tape to allow projects to move more quickly.

"Existing sewers, roads, EMT/Fire Departments, garbage removal, parking, and environment cannot support the development the Governor is proposing for Long Island without billions of infrastructure dollars," Smyth said. "The Governor’s proposed $250 million for statewide infrastructure is a tiny fraction of the cost to support 800,000 new housing units."

Smyth also expressed concern about contamination, saying the town's harbors, bays and groundwater are dirtied from "endless" cesspool and surface runoff.

Long Island drinking water, Smyth said, comes from groundwater, as opposed to upstate reservoirs. Each year, the island's drinking water shows higher levels of 1.4 dioxane contamination.

"This drinking water crisis is only beginning," Smyth said.

The supervisor said there are "precious few" open spaces left in Huntington for new construction, adding that only redevelopment — not new development — is possible.

"New projects almost always require demolition or repurposing of existing structures," he said. "Concern over changing large areas from commercial to residential is not NIMBY-ism, but rather a sober look at the challenges such re-development creates."

Smyth said he has met with Hochul's office and looks forward to working with Hochul to develop a "sustainable" plan for housing in Huntington.

He invited Hochul to the town's next listening session for the re-development of Melville at 7 p.m. Jan. 26 at RXR Executive Park, at 68 S. Service Road, Melville.

Smyth said a development process in Huntington cannot be rushed.

"We only have one chance to get it right," he said. "There is no shortage of truly awful government-mandated housing projects built quickly with the best of intentions. The Town of Huntington has been and will continue to be a role model for sustainable development on Long Island and throughout the State of New York."

Hochul said New York is facing a housing "crisis" that will require "bold actions."

According to the Population Reference Bureau, Hochul said, more than half of New York renters are rent-burdened, meaning that they pay more than 30 percent of their income on rent — the second-highest rate in the nation. In the New York City metro area, rents have risen 30 percent since 2015 and home prices have risen 50 percent over the same period. Outside of New York City, rents have risen 40 to 60 percent since 2015 while home prices have risen 50 to 80 percent.

The New York Housing Compact will make available a $250 million infrastructure fund and a $20 million planning fund to support new housing production statewide. Municipalities may submit requests for planning funding to undertake either required transit-oriented development rezonings or preferred actions to help them hit their growth targets. The plan will also create a new housing planning office within New York State Homes and Community Renewal to provide municipalities with support and guidance, she said.

Housing advocates applauded Hochul's plan, while other town officials expressed concern at the idea of the state mandating housing projects in their municipalities.

Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino said he was concerned Hochul's plan could restrict “the will of the people,” Newsday reported.

Rebecca Sanin, the president/CEO of Health and Welfare Council of Long Island, said: “Community well-being depends on a diverse, safe and quality housing stock that serves all of its residents including seniors, students, people with disabilities and families."